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Jessica Porter
Hi, I'm Jessica Porter, and welcome back to Sleep Magic, a podcast where I help you find the magic of your own mind, helping you to sleep better and live better.
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for being here.
Jessica Porter
Thank you for listening. You know, we hear from all sorts of people every week from different directions, because this world is full of ways of contacting one another. I've had people reach out to me lately. Robert, Christina, Laura, who's been listening since her husband went through something difficult last year. Jackie from Australia, who loves the travel episodes. I've heard from Kyla, who had a great episode idea. Matt also has a great episode idea. And Joanna has been dealing with a virus, but Sleep Magic has really, really helped her rest and get better. So thank you everybody for reaching out. Thank you for being in this relaxation experiment with me, with all of us. This is one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me. So I really appreciate your being there and reaching out. Please tell your friends, tell your family, spread the word, and thank you. If you're in a position to subscribe for subscribing, great. Tonight, accepting yourself unconditionally. You know, when I thought about writing an episode to honor Mental Health Awareness Week, which is what it's called in
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
the uk, but in the US it's
Jessica Porter
more like Mental Health Awareness Month, it was a bit of a challenge. There are so many different angles on this topic that it seemed weird to walk down one particular alley that might not apply to every listener or most listeners. And still, this is such an important topic. And thank goodness it's getting more and more attention. I mean, back in the day, mental health just was not discussed. In fact, it was outright shamed, which only increased the suffering. But now we understand much more that we can and must take our mental health seriously, getting support in many ways and sharing about our struggles with others. When mental health is seen as one aspect of overall health, it is less stigmatized, and we all have an opportunity to feel better in every way. So in considering a topic for the podcast, instead of going down one specific alley, I decided to approach it from this perspective. No matter our issues, no matter our ups and downs, or our particular neurological status, we all have a relationship to our self. At the center of every human being is a fundamental, primary relationship with oneself. And I'm the first to admit that that relationship can get tricky. It can feel conflicted and stressed out, but it doesn't have to. What I love about hypnosis is that the profound relaxation we get into often brings us below those conflicts below, all
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
that stress to a smoother, softer place in ourselves.
Jessica Porter
A place we should all get to more often, regardless of our diagnoses. So no matter where you are vis a vis your mental health, tonight let's all go into this lovely place, this gentle, soft valley within ourselves where we accept ourselves unconditionally, our strengths, our challenges,
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
our humanity
Jessica Porter
before we begin our only AD break which makes this magic possible to listen ad free. Follow the link in the show notes. You know, we talk a lot on the show about unwinding at the end of the day and finding small ways to make that easier. And I really didn't expect my sheets to be one of those things, but recently they have been. You know, it's a simple change, but it's made that moment when I get into bed feel noticeably more relaxing because I ordered the bamboo sheet set from Quince and they've been such a great addition to my bedroom. They're soft, breathable and cool when you first get in. Quince bedding is designed to feel light and airy all night, whether it's bamboo, linen or organic cotton. And their linen actually gets softer with every wash, which I love. Everything feels thoughtfully made but still simple and much more accessible than you'd expect because they work directly with their manufacturers. It's one of those small changes that doesn't replace the rest of your wind down routine, but it really does make that moment of lying down feel more luxurious. Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to Quince.com SleepMagic for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com SleepMagic for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com SleepMagic this episode is brought to
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Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
now
Jessica Porter
get yourself into a safe and comfortable position.
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
And let's allow your eyes to close easily and gently. As you bring your awareness to your breath. You don't have to do anything interesting with your breath. This is about your awareness. Settling, focusing. Now, what you need to know about the awareness is that it doesn't settle for long. No one's awareness settles for long, not even the greatest meditators ever flat line in their awareness. It moves, but we're simply inviting it just for a moment, back to the breath. Inviting it just for a moment, back to the body. Good. Now bring your awareness up into your eyelids.
Jessica Porter
I'd like you to imagine that your
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
eyelids are feeling sleepy, heavy and relaxed. Tired. So you allow your eyelids to feel heavy. Just imagine that they feel heavy. And now they do. And now I'd like you to imagine that your eyelids are so heavy that they can't open. And I know that's absurd, of course your eyes can open, but we're imagining that they can't. And just play pretend with me here
Jessica Porter
as you imagine that your eyes are
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
so relaxed they cannot open, I want you to Test them by wiggling your eyebrows while your eyes remain closed. And you're faking yourself out here. That's fine. That's what we want. Eyes remain closed. Wiggle your eyebrows like you're trying to open them, but they're not opening. Good. Now we've engaged your imagination. That's where we want to be. So now, this heavy feeling around your eyelids, let's imagine that it's moving back into your brain. Imagine a warm mist of relaxation. A lovely, delicious, heavy feeling of relaxation is spilling back into your brain. And now that it's taking over your whole head, your head is feeling heavy on the pillow. Heavy like a bowling ball. Just let it be heavy. As the muscles of your face are feeling soft and relaxed and heavy. As you imagine warm waves of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind. Just allow those warm waves of relaxation to lap up against the beach of your mind as all mental tension disappears. Good. As that relaxing feeling is moving down now into your neck, softening the muscles of your neck, moving down into your shoulders. And your shoulders are becoming soft and heavy, letting go. I don't know what your shoulders carry on them every day, but I'm sure they carry a lot. Pressures, plans, responsibilities. So as your shoulders are softening and you are going deeper and deeper, everything you've been carrying on your shoulders has fallen to the floor. And you will pick it up tomorrow morning if you want to. For right now, you're free. As the relaxation is moving down into your arms. Feel it moving like a wave down through your upper arms, through your elbows, waving down through your forearms and down into your hands. Relaxation moving all the way down into every single finger as you go deeper and deeper. And it feels so easy, so comfortable. Good. And as your body relaxing, your mind is relaxing. And as your mind is relaxing, your body is going deeper and even deeper. As that warm relaxation moves down now into your chest, softening and opening and releasing your chest cavity, your ribcage, The muscles of your back softening and letting go. And any tension you may hold in your chest is dissolving. As the relaxation moves down even deeper now down into your belly, the muscles of your belly letting go, your lower back softening, your buttocks relaxing. As your pelvis feels nice and heavy on the bed. As you are going deeper and deeper, and all of the sounds going on around you are taking you deeper and deeper. As the relaxation moves down into your legs, moving all the way down through your thighs, through your calves, into your feet. Your legs are feeling very, very heavy, heavy and relaxed the day is as your whole body. Is drifting deeper and deeper. And the sound of my voice is also taking you deeper and deeper. Imagine you are standing inside a lovely cabin nestled in a wide green valley. Its walls are made of old pine, the wood worn smooth by time and the elements. In the corner, a soft amber lamp glows, and it's casting a golden pool of light across the room. This cabin feels warm. There's a big comfortable bed and a woven rug beneath your feet. Everything here feels simple, solid, safe. You feel safe. Through the cabin's large window. You see the valley opening up wide before you. Its dark green slopes curve gently down toward a river that winds its way along the the valley floor like a silver ribbon. This river is always moving, always finding its way, just as life is always moving, finding its way through you.
Jessica Porter
You notice there are other little cabins
Jessica Porter (Guided Meditation Voice)
scattered along the riverbank, their warm lights glowing in their windows. You are connected. You are connected to these other people in their cabins along the river. And they are also sitting with their own thoughts, their own feelings, their own lives, Every one held by the same valley. It feels good to be here. You step outside onto the wooden deck and the evening air feels cool against your skin. You notice a rocking chair waiting for you, and you settle into it. There's a folded wool blanket on the deck. You pick it up and place it across your lap. You begin a soft rocking motion, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth as you go, deeper and deeper. As the river continues, you hear the sound of the water moving over stones, Creating a hush. Life moving through you. Life moving through everything. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. You look up. Clouds are drifting slowly across a vast blue sky. Some are light and feathery. Some are darker and look heavy. Some clouds are dissolving as they move, while others are gathering as they move. You are here tonight to simply watch them, to notice them. To remember that clouds are simply clouds. Passing, shifting, never remaining for long. Thoughts are like clouds. Feelings are like clouds, moods like clouds, moving through all of us, gathering and releasing. And through it all, the sky remains wide, blue, eternal. Just as there is a deeper part of you right now, observing. No matter how I feel, I am gentle with myself. No matter what is happening around me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm feeling, I'm gentle with myself. No matter what's happening around me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself. As you continue to rock in the rocking chair, gently back, forth, back and forth, Back and forth. The river is flowing, the valley remaining, And you are simply being. The light in the valley is beginning to change. The blue sky is morphing into lavender and rose as the sun is lowering. The clouds are turning gold and pink. The entire valley is glowing. The river is reflecting, the sun, glinting with red and orange. And as the world is becoming softer, your mind is becoming softer, Your thoughts as soft as clouds, Floating, Gathering, dissolving. No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself. The sun is slipping below the horizon now and the air is becoming cooler. The clouds are evaporating. And the valley is becoming dark, shifting into shadows. You notice lights appearing in the other cabins like warm sparkles in the dusk. You are all connected, Other humans experiencing their thoughts, their feelings, Their humanity. It feels so good to be connected. You look up again. The stars are emerging one by one. The same sky that held the clouds just a moment ago is now clear, And you look into its infinite depth. As your inner being expands. And expand. As your body goes deeper and deeper into relaxation, your inner being is expanding. Into the infinite sky. And it feels so good. You are expansive like the sky. And ancient like the valley, Flowing like the river. You rise slowly from your rocking chair and step back into your warm cabin. The amber light inside is still glowing softly, And across the room is a bed dressed in crisp white linens and a thick quilt, soft and welcoming. You walk to the bed, pull back the covers, the slide into its delicious warmth. As the mattress receives your body completely and your head sinks into the pill. And the quilt settles over you with just the right weight so you feel safe and contained. As you close your eyes, As you go deeper. And even deeper. Sa. No matter how I feel, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself. No matter what's happening around me, I am gentle with myself. Sa. As you go deeper. And even deeper, Relaxing into this gentle valley within yourself. As you drift it. And float. Sam.
Host: Jessica Porter
Date: April 28, 2026
This episode of Sleep Magic is a soothing guided journey dedicated to unconditional self-acceptance in the context of Mental Health Awareness Month/Week. Jessica Porter, an experienced hypnotherapist, explores how accepting ourselves – including all our strengths and challenges – is at the heart of mental wellness. She gently leads listeners through a calming, immersive sleep hypnosis designed to foster self-compassion and deep rest, while reinforcing the message that no matter our thoughts, feelings, or circumstances, we deserve kindness from ourselves.
[02:00 - 04:45]
Jessica contextualizes the episode within Mental Health Awareness Month/Week (UK/US), discussing the evolving attitude toward mental health:
"Back in the day, mental health just was not discussed. In fact, it was outright shamed, which only increased the suffering. But now we understand much more that we can and must take our mental health seriously, getting support in many ways and sharing about our struggles with others." – Jessica Porter [02:26]
She chooses to focus on the “primary relationship with oneself” as a universal aspect of mental health:
"No matter our issues, no matter our ups and downs, or our particular neurological status, we all have a relationship to our self. At the center of every human being is a fundamental, primary relationship with oneself." – Jessica Porter [03:19]
Hypnosis as a tool is highlighted for accessing a deeper, undisturbed state:
"What I love about hypnosis is that the profound relaxation we get into often brings us below those conflicts, below all that stress to a smoother, softer place in ourselves." – Jessica Porter [04:07]
[08:43 - 20:00]
Jessica calmly invites listeners to settle their awareness onto their breath and surrender to gentle relaxation, acknowledging the fickleness of attention:
"What you need to know about the awareness is that it doesn't settle for long. No one's awareness settles for long, not even the greatest meditators ever flat line in their awareness. It moves, but we're simply inviting it just for a moment, back to the breath." – Jessica Porter [08:46]
Hypnotic technique is demonstrated through imaginative physical focus, such as feeling the eyelids growing heavy:
"I'd like you to imagine that your eyelids are feeling sleepy, heavy and relaxed. ... And now I'd like you to imagine that your eyelids are so heavy that they can't open. And I know that's absurd... but we're imagining that they can't." – Jessica Porter [10:26]
Jessica guides the listener through progressive relaxation, moving awareness from the face, to shoulders, arms, and eventually the legs and feet, creating deep bodily comfort and softening internal tension:
"As your shoulders are softening and you are going deeper and deeper, everything you've been carrying on your shoulders has fallen to the floor. And you will pick it up tomorrow morning if you want to. For right now, you're free." – Jessica Porter [12:30]
[20:00 - 35:00]
Listeners are gently transported to a peaceful, safe cabin in a wide green valley. The cabin, warm and softly lit, sits beside a meandering river – a metaphor for life's continuous flow:
"Imagine you are standing inside a lovely cabin nestled in a wide green valley. Its walls are made of old pine, the wood worn smooth by time and the elements. ... This river is always moving, always finding its way, just as life is always moving, finding its way through you." – Jessica Porter [20:00]
Visualizing the community of other cabins connects the listener to a sense of shared experience:
"You notice there are other little cabins scattered along the riverbank, their warm lights glowing in their windows. You are connected to these other people ... Every one held by the same valley." – Jessica Porter [22:06]
The listener sits in a rocking chair, enveloped in a blanket, observing clouds drifting overhead. The clouds are symbolic of thoughts, moods, and feelings – transient, ever-shifting:
"Thoughts are like clouds. Feelings are like clouds, moods like clouds, moving through all of us, gathering and releasing. And through it all, the sky remains wide, blue, eternal. Just as there is a deeper part of you right now, observing." – Jessica Porter [24:30]
[24:45 - End]
Jessica repeats soothing affirmations of gentleness and self-acceptance, reinforcing their message:
"No matter how I feel, I am gentle with myself. No matter what is happening around me, I am gentle with myself. No matter what I'm thinking, I am gentle with myself." – Jessica Porter (repeated) [25:06 – 26:25+]
As the sun sets in the visualization, silence and softening permeate the valley, symbolizing both the transition to sleep and acceptance of life's changes:
"The entire valley is glowing. The river is reflecting, the sun, glinting with red and orange. And as the world is becoming softer, your mind is becoming softer, your thoughts as soft as clouds, floating, gathering, dissolving." – Jessica Porter [27:40]
The episode closes with the listener returning to the cabin, slipping into bed, held by the imagery of warmth, safety, and total acceptance. Repeated affirmations anchor this state:
"No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself." – Jessica Porter [29:30+]
On social connection and gratitude:
"Thank you for being in this relaxation experiment with me, with all of us. This is one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me." – Jessica Porter [00:42]
On awareness and acceptance:
"Awareness doesn’t settle for long... but we’re simply inviting it, just for a moment, back to the breath." – Jessica Porter [09:04]
On letting go of burdens:
"Everything you've been carrying on your shoulders has fallen to the floor. And you will pick it up tomorrow morning if you want to. For right now, you're free." – Jessica Porter [12:30]
On self-compassion:
"No matter what passes through me, I am gentle with myself." – Jessica Porter [29:30]
Jessica Porter’s calming voice guides listeners into deep relaxation, weaving together beautiful imagery and gentle hypnotherapy techniques to create an inner landscape of unconditional self-acceptance. The episode is particularly resonant for those facing mental health challenges, but is universally applicable for anyone seeking kinder self-talk and a peaceful night’s sleep. The essential takeaway is a simple, healing message:
No matter what we feel, think, or face, we can always treat ourselves gently.
This episode is a true haven for those seeking restoration and emotional balance at bedtime.